Unitary pot press



DSC. 31, l F, s CARVER I 2,226,920

UNITARY POLINIE S5 original Fild Marchy 27, 1954 4 sheets-sheet 1 fig] 7W' I I|A I II 'II I hij II. IIII ,Z [l I I 'l I I I f@ I ,o

FRED 5- CARVER l IW Dec. 31, 1940. F. SCARVER 2,226,920

UNITARY POT. PRES S Original Filed March 27, 1934 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 FRED 5, CARI/5R F. s. CARVER 2,226,920 l UNITARY POT PRESS Original Filed March 27, 1934 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 De.; 31, 1940. F S CARVER 2,226,920

UNITARY POT PRES S Original Filed March 27, 1934 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENT FRED 5. CAR VE ATTORNEYS Patented Dec. 31, 194e PATENT OFFICE UNITARY POT PRESS Fred S. Carver, Short Hills, N. J.

Application March 27, 1934, Serial No. 717,565 Renewed Jllly 20, 1938 1 Claim.

This invention relates to presses, and particularly multiple pot presses such as are used for extracting cocoa 4butter from ground Y cocoa liquor.

Objects It is an object of my invention to provide a press organization wherein the actual pressing of material, to the full capacity ofthe press, can be going on practicallyV continuously, with very little time in which the press itself is not working, which at the same time calls for a minimum of parts, which requires a minimum of Ifloor n space, and which requires little work and `tirne'on the partof the operator.Y

On specific object of` my invention is to provide an improved feeding apparatus which4 contributes in making feasible the above general result.

Former practice where the pots were al1 drawn out to the same side the press was inefficient because the actual pressing was going on for too small a proportion of the time, being interrupted by long periods required for the slow removal of the pressed cakes by hand and the slow relling of the press pots by hand. And where other former practice provided two sets of pots for more continuous operations, it was at the cost of providing duplicate slideways on both sides of the press, providing two complete sets of thel expensive press pots with their associated parts, directly occupying more floor space because it had two sets of slideway frames, indirectly re quiring still more floor space because space had to be provided for the attendant to walk around and unload the press from two sides, and requiring more labor because the operator had to walk back and forth from one side to the other and could not unitarily eject and lill the pots from a single point.

The present invention makes it possible for the press to be operating almost continuously at full capacity and still have only one set of press pots and one set of slideway frames. The operator can always work from one position in front of each press, wherefore the presses can be placed side by sideclose together, and other presses closely spaced back to back with-them, effecting great savings in floor space and labor. Furthermore, as these presses are always heated there is minimum .heat loss and the work is kept at the most uniform temperature when each pot is in the press during every pressing operation and when the intervals between-pressing opera- (Cl. 10G-50) tions are of minimum duration, which results my present construction brings about.

Drawings In the annexed drawings I have shown an il- 5 lustrative embodiment of my invention.

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the press;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the press;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken on the line 3--3 of Fig. 2, the closed position of the pots 10 being shown in full lines and their open position being shown in dotted lines;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on line 4 4 of Fig. 2, of the iront half of the press showing the ejecting mechanism; 15

Fig. 5 is a detail View showing the ejector in down position;

Fig. 6 isa side view showing the feed valve controls;

Fig. 7 is a detail sectional view taken on the 20' the stops supporting the series of platens; Fig. 3()`A 11 is amore or less diagrammatic View showing the hydraulic cylinder and piston for actuating the ejectors; and, Fig. 12 is a more or .less diagrammatic View taken on the line I2-I2 of Fig'. 2 showing the main hydraulic cylinder and ram 35 for carrying out the pressing operation.

The press comprises feet lil, .a lower press head I2 containing a conventional hydraulic ramand-cylinder controlled in the standard way by valve I3 with operating handle I3', an upper o press head I4 which is connected to the lower head by strain rods I6, rear frame members I8, and front frame members 2U. 'Ihe frame members are stepped inwardly at successive` levels, forming stops 22 which support platens 2t.

The platens 24 are shaped to ride up and down within the strain rods and be guided thereby. Each platen supports, on compression springs 2li, two slideway members 29, boltsI 30 holding members 28 in place while allowing them to be 50 squeezed toward the platen. The slideway mem` bers provide slideways 29 into which the press pots can be slid, thusV providing stations for the pots, which stations are at fixed positions when they press is notv under compression and which 55` allow vertical movement of the pots when the press is put under compression.

Each pot 32 consists of a ring member 34, and a piston 36 forming a bottom for the pot. The piston bears a lter means 38 in its upper face, and has outlet means 39 to lead away the expressed fluid. A handle 40 is provided at the front edge of each pot for pushing and pulling same in and out.

Each platen except the lowermost one is provided on its under side with a top closure 42 for the pot beneath. This top closure bears a filter means 44 in its under face, and it is provided with outlet means 45 to lead away the expressed fluid. A similar closure member with filter means is provided on the under surface of the upper head, to serve the topmost pot. The filter means 38 and 44 are preferably but not necessarily permanently attached to the pistons and top closures.

When all the pots are in the press, filled,with fluid to be pressed, Vthe main hydraulic ram is raised by opening the main valve I3 by control handle I3. This valve I3'admits iiuid under pressure to the main cylinder in the manner conventional,in 'the hydraulic press art. This first closes in all theplatens against thecompression `of springs 26, thereby tightly engaging each pot ring with the closure member 42 above it so as to close up thepots. Upon further compression the plungersv 25 of platens 24 contact the pistons 36 in pots 32, and raise them, thereby pressing the material in the pots.

The front frame members 20 bear slideways 2|. When pressure is released from the main ram these frame slideways 2| and the press slideways 29 carried by the platens are in alignment.

The press pots are left under pressure forsome time, after which pressure on the hydraulic ram is released and the pots are all withdrawn by hand out into the frame 20, whereupon the pressed cakes are ready` to be ejected byv mechanisr'n provided therefor.

Ejector members 50 are mounted on slide-bars 52 in.positions immediately below the withdrawn positions of the pots. A yoke 54 connects the top of the slide-bars, and is capable of being raised powerfully by a hydraulic ram-and-cylinder 56, controlled inthe conventional way by a valve 58. When the ejector members are raised they eject all the compressed cakes which are then removed by hand. The ejector members are then let back down, the pistons 36 returning -to form bottoms for the pots which are then ready for relling.

Means are provided for filling the pots in their withdrawn position, with cocoa liquor or other material to be pressed, which is in a generally fluid state, as follows:

A common feed line 6|] from a pump or other source under pressure extends down alongside the potsv in'their withdrawn position. Branches 62 extend out therefrom and terminate one over each pot. These branches have individual valves 64 each with a handle 66, a crank arm 61, and a spring 68 urging it to closed position. vIn Fig. 6 the center valve is shown in open position and the others in closed position.

A bar 'I0 is mounted on the frame by guidestuds 12 secured to the lframe and passing through slots 15 in the bar. These studs carry washers 13 and pins 14 which hold the bar on. A pivoted rocker arm` 16 has a slot and pin connection 18, 80 with'bar V1I). Thus as arm 16 is pulled down to the dotted position shown .in Fig. 6, bar 10 is raised, its slots allowing such movement. The bar 10 carries a pin 82 for each valve 64, which pin serves as a lug for cooperation with crank arm 61 thereof. When bar 18 is raised by arm 16, all the pins 82 are raised, rotating all the valves to open position, whereby the pots are filled simultaneously.

Thus when the pots are all ready to be lled the operator can pull down arm 16 and hold it down until the pots are all practically full, whereupon he releases the arm' 16,v and the springs 68 close all the valves. If, due to variations in the consistency of the material or for .any reason, the pots do not all ll uniformly,

, provision is made for easily completing the filling singly to the desired levels. This is accomplished by opening separately the valve 64 of any pot or pots which may not have filled to the same extent as the rest when arm 16 was operated.

When the pots are all filled, they are slid back into the press, where they are ready for the next pressing.

Operation Y. s

With this press, mechanically operated in this way, the actual pressing interval occupies nearly all the operating time, and removing and relling between pressing periods are easy operations requiring very little time. j

The operation of theA press, starting at the point where the pots are charged and v.under pressure in the press and continuing through a complete cycle back to the same point, is as follows:

When the pressing is completed the operator actuates valve handle I3 to release the pressure, whereupon the platens, which support the pots, descend until stopped by thestops 22. Then the operator pulls the pots out by their handles to withdrawn position. l

Next he turns on valve 58 which raises the' ejectors, and removes the cakes which are then free and clear of the pots. Then he reverses valve 58, letting the ejectors sink back, Aand the pots are ready for relling.

With the pots remaining in withdrawn position the operator pulls down the rocker arm 16, which turnson the feed valves for all the pots. When they are all filled to the proper level he allows handle 16 to go back and all the valves to close under vthe action of springS'BB. If any of the pots have not lled as fast as the rest'he brings them up to just the desiredV level by the individual valve handles 66.

When all the pots are filled he pushes the pots into the press and actuates main 'valve I3 by handle I3 to .apply hydraulic pressure.

The cycle has then been completed and'this press will require no more attentionuntil the end of its pressing period. Hence the operatorcanv now empty and recharge other similar presses seriatim returning to this press when the mate` charging and recharging, giving the'advantagesV of the form of prior art construction which has gone into general use, and'on the other handall the operations are carried onatV one side of the press, giving the advantage ofanother form" of prior art construction.l Heretofore it has not' been found possible to secure alll these different advantages at the same time in a single pre'ssjA A press as shownher'einwill turn out aboutA the same quantity of Work as the press shown in my patent No. 1,607,722, issued Nov. 23, 1926, which, besides having a greater number of parts and requiring more floor space, required the operator, in going through a pressing cycle, to make several trips from side to side of the press and up and down steps at each side in order to reach and serve the different pots separately. The unitary press of the present invention is operated entirely from one side, all the pots undergo pressing together, and they are all emptied and relled together, with a saving of labor, time, parts and floor space. Thus it will be seen that the present invention represents an important step forward.

While I have shown and described the pots as pushed in and pulled out individually by hand, it will be appreciated that the press arrangement of my invention need not be conned to manual moving of the pots nor to separate individual moving of the pots, but that other and more or less equivalent means may readily be used in this connection.

While I have shown and described a particular embodiment of my invention, it will be vunderstood that modioations and variations thereof may be made, wherefore I wish to be limited only to the scope oi the appended claim.

I claim In a vertical hydraulic pot press, a predetermined plurality of pot stations into and out of which the pots .are laterally slidable at one side providing means for supporting the pots at'fixed positions when the press is not under compression and allowing vertical movement of the pots when the press is put under compression, the same predetermined plurality of platens, the same predetermined plurality of pistons, each pot station being positioned between a platen and a piston, the same predetermined plurality of laterally extending slideways aligned with the pot stations when the press is not under compression and all extending out to the same one side of the press only, means for ejecting cakes from all the pots simultaneously when in out position on said slideways with unitary means of control for all the ejectingv means, lling means for lling all the pots simultaneously when in out position on the slideway, unitary control means for all of said feed means and individual control means for each thereof, whereby all the pots in the set may be simultaneously subjected to pressure application, and between pressure applications all the pots in the set can be moved to the outer stations, all the cakes simultaneously ejected, and all the pots simultaneously filled and correction made for lack of evenness in filling, and yall of the pots returned to the pressing station and the pot is inthe pressing station for a time greatly in excess of such time as it is out, and all of the emptying and refilling operations can be performed at one place and in a short space of time, leaving the press under compression and the operator free during all the rest of the time.

FRED S. CARVER. 

